Bulgaria: Better enforcement delivers better conditions
Bulgaria: Better enforcement delivers better conditions
A labour inspection clampdown in Bulgaria has led to a massive improvement in safety and working conditions. A report from the General Labour Inspectorate (GLI) said improved regular inspections and penalties led to a doubling of the number of employers adopting programmes to eliminate workplace risks between 2003 and 2004. GLI said in 2004 more than 8,000 companies took measures aimed at improving health and safety and three times as many firms provided the services of 'labour medical agencies.' The report concludes that inspection campaigns targeting work-related accidents, especially in high risk sectors, had achieved clear improvements. Comparing 2003 and 2004 data, 38 sectors of the economy saw a reduction in accidents, the report said, with the most notable decreases found in extraction of iron ore (136 fewer cases), and food and drinks production (61 fewer cases). The report found that although only 1 per cent of complaints to GLI from employees or unions related to health and safety - most were concerned with pay or overtime - its statistics showed about 70 per cent of actual labour law infringements were related to working conditions. Under Bulgaria's labour law, fines and penalties are imposed on individuals, the employer or other responsible person, and not the company.
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